In the fast-paced world of electric vehicles, startups often make a huge splash, only to crash and burn just as quickly. Human Horizons certainly made plenty of noise when it burst onto China’s EV scene with the launch of its HiPhi Z, an electric car that looked like a four-door Nissan GT-R blended with a BMW i8 from a sci-fi flick.

Read: China’s HiPhi EV Startup Is In Trouble, As Parent Company Files For Bankruptcy

But, as we’ve seen time and time again, flashy debuts rarely guarantee long-term success. Despite its early promise, Human Horizons soon found itself in financial turmoil, ultimately filing for bankruptcy. This misfortune came just about a year after the HiPhi Z first launched in Europe, and now two of these rare cars are on the market looking for new homes and owners, whether or not they know what they’re getting into.

Buying an EV from a company that’s gone belly up, much like Fisker did, is a gamble at best. If something breaks—or, heaven forbid, just doesn’t work—you’ll be left high and dry, with zero technical support to rely on.

Less Than Half Its Original Price

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Now, let’s get into the specifics of what’s up for grabs. The first HiPhi model we’ve come across is a Z, which is up for sale in Germany with an asking price of €69,800 (~$75,300). The Z was the most unusual of HiPhi’s three models and, when first announced, had an asking price of €105,000 (~$113,200).

While we’re not sure when exactly this model was delivered in Europe, it has a mere 50 km (31 miles) on the odometer. So, it’s barely broken in, assuming the lack of financial backing doesn’t completely put a halt to its future prospects.

Powering the HiPhi Z is a 120 kWh battery pack feeding a pair of electric motors with 663 hp. The EV can reportedly hit 62 mph (100 km/h) in just 3.8 seconds and travel up to 345 miles (555 km) on a single charge. The Z’s exterior design is quite the conversation starter, but the cabin also looks impressively luxurious with plenty of premium materials and a large infotainment screen.

More: 1,287 HP HiPhi A Thinks The Model S Plaid Is All Go And Not Enough Show

The second HiPhi Z we found on Mobile is a slightly more expensive four-seat version, which originally listed at €107,000 (~$115,400). This one’s been used a bit more, with 10,000 km (6,200 miles) on the clock, and the photos show it’s been used as a family car with two baby seats in the back. It has an asking price of €60,000 (~$64,700). That’s roughly the same as a brand new BMW 520i in Germany, although the Z is all-electric and has much more power.

Would You Take The Risk?

So, would you dare buy an EV from a company that’s already written its own obituary? Well, that’s for you to decide. But hey, if you’re feeling adventurous, these HiPhi Zs are out there waiting to be snapped up. Just don’t say we didn’t warn you.

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Xiaomi is determined to become a major global player in the EV industry and to make this happen, it’s recruiting experienced talent from other brands, including at least five senior executives from BMW. They will work at the brand’s research and development center in Europe, although an exact location for this site has yet to be announced.

A search through LinkedIn reveals that Xiaomi hired Rudolf Dittrich from BMW last year to serve as the head of its European R&D center. Dittrich has worked at the German premium automaker for 15 years and also has experience at the Williams and Sauber Formula 1 teams. Additionally, Dusan Sarac has joined Xiaomi’s European operations after several years at BMW and Rolls-Royce.

Read: Xiaomi Aims To Sell More EVs In China Than All German Brands Combined

Reuters understands that Jannis Hellwig has also jumped ship to the Chinese EV brand and will serve as a senior engineer on performance development and integration. The technology giant is also looking for a senior automotive designer, senior automotive exterior designer, and vehicle dynamics engineers in Munich, Germany.

There’s no word on where the technology giant’s European R&D facility will be located, with the brand simply saying the site is “in the process of planning.”

It’s not just talent that Xiaomi is snatching from the Germans. It wants to sell 350,000 EVs in China this year, and if it can hit that target, it will surpass the combined 2024 EV sales of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche. That would be quite a feat for the company, particularly since it only started building the electric SU7 sedan this time last year.

Now, with the hypercar-rivaling SU7 Ultra on the market, Xiaomi appears to be going from strength to strength. Moreover, 2025 is expected to be a pivotal year for the firm as it’ll start production and deliveries of the YU7. The new electric SUV undercuts the Tesla Model Y and, given the global demand for high-riding vehicles, should sell in far greater numbers than the SU7 sedan.

Not long ago, premium German cars were seen as the epitome of luxury in China. For brands like Mercedes-Benz and Porsche, China was consistently their largest market, with sales surpassing those in any other country. However, as new homegrown brands have emerged, local preferences are beginning to shift toward Chinese companies and their offerings. Xiaomi is a perfect example of this shift.

Xiaomi, primarily known for being one China’s largest makers of electronics and consumer goods, producing everything from vacuum cleaners to computer monitors, fridges, suitcases, and smartphones. Then, the brand’s boss decided he wanted to build an electric vehicle. Unlike the billionaire founder of Dyson, who famously failed to launch an EV, Xiaomi has succeeded where others couldn’t, with its first electric vehicle, the SU7.

Read: Why Xiaomi Succeeded In Becoming An Automaker While Apple Failed

Customer deliveries of the SU7 started less than a year ago, and the company already has its sights set on the German establishment. The company aims to sell 350,000 EVs in China this year, thanks to the SU7 and the upcoming release of its Tesla Model Y competitor, the YU7. If Xiaomi can hit this target, it would surpass the combined EV sales of Volkswagen, Audi, BMW, Mercedes-Benz, and Porsche in China from last year, Handelsblatt reports.

Expanding Beyond China

It’s not just at home in China, where Xiaomi wants to grow its EV business. Earlier this month, the company’s president William Lu, revealed plans to expand into more markets. While he didn’t specify exact dates, he assured that Xiaomi would enter new regions “within the next few years.”

The arrival of the YU7 will mark a pivotal moment for the company. SUVs continue to dominate global sales, and there’s a strong chance the YU7 will outperform the SU7. Deliveries are set to begin in June or July, and the industry will be watching closely to see if Xiaomi can continue its rise.

Elon Musk may have mastered the art of staying in headlines, but lately, not all press has been good press—especially if you’re trying to sell electric cars. While his public image in the US has taken a noticeable hit, things have turned downright bleak for Musk in Germany.

More: Musk Appeals For $56 Billion Tesla Payday, As Firing Thousands Just Doesn’t Pay Enough

Tesla’s sales there have nosedived, and to make matters worse, Musk’s appearance at Donald Trump’s January inauguration, complete with what many interpreted as a Nazi-like salute, has ignited fierce backlash to both the man and the brand across the country. Now, a new study lays bare just how deep Tesla’s troubles in Germany run.

The huge survey, carried out by German publication T-Online, polled around 100,000 readers and revealed that 94% of respondents wouldn’t touch a Tesla. Just 3% said they’d even consider one. It’s the kind of result that might make even the most confident CEO reconsider their strategy—or at least their social media posts.

Tesla’s Decline in Germany

Many had long expected Tesla’s dominance over the EV market to slowly fade as legacy car manufacturers got their act together and launched their own EVs. However, it hasn’t really been legacy brands that have Tesla quaking in its boots, but rather newer car companies from China, including BYD. In addition, Elon Musk’s foray into politics in the United States has hampered sentiment in Tesla.

Read: Activists Project ‘Heil Tesla’ Onto Musk’s Own German Gigafactory

It’s not just Musk’s involvement in US politics that’s hurting Tesla. Prior to Germany’s federal election in February, Musk threw his support behind the far-right AfD party or Alternative for Germany. Musk’s questionable antics have also continued online, and last week, he reposted a tweet on X proclaiming that, “Stalin, Mao and Hitler didn’t murder millions of people,” but rather, “their public sector workers did.”

Sales Slump Despite EV Market Recovery

If Tesla plans to regain footing in Germany, it has some serious damage control to do. Sales figures paint a stark picture: across January and February, Tesla sales dropped over 70%, even as Germany’s broader EV market bounced back from a sluggish 2024.

Much of Tesla’s hopes now rest on its updated Model Y. Borrowing design cues from the angular Cybertruck and futuristic Cybercab, the refreshed Model Y aims to deliver better efficiency, improved refinement, and a more polished driving experience.

On paper, it’s positioned to be one of the most well-rounded EVs available, but whether German buyers are ready to overlook Musk’s controversies and give it a chance is another question entirely.

Tesla was proudly proclaiming less than a year ago that it would be selling 20 million electric vehicles annually by 2030. Fast forward to today, and things have taken a sharp downturn. After seemingly abandoning this lofty goal mid-2024, the company has also seen its first annual sales decline in a decade. Now, Tesla’s sales are continuing to slide in several major markets, including Germany, Australia, and, of course, China.

Earlier this week, we reported that Tesla sales in Norway collapsed by 44.4% through January and February, despite the country’s overall EV market growing by 53.4%. Things are even worse in Germany. New data from the KBA – Germany’s Federal Motor Transport Authority – shows that in January 2025, Tesla sales plummeted by 59.5%, with just 1,277 new cars registered in the country.

Read: Tesla Sales Crash Up To 63% In European Markets, Is Musk Or New Model Y To Blame?

The situation only worsened in February. Sales were down a staggering 76.3% compared to February 2024, with just 1,429 units sold. Through January and February, Tesla has delivered 2,706 vehicles in Germany, marking a massive 70.6% drop from the same period last year. Tesla’s decline is even more pronounced when you consider that overall BEV sales in Germany climbed 30.8% in February.

Aussie Slowdown

Australia isn’t much better. Data from the nation’s Electric Vehicle Council shows that Tesla shifted 1,592 vehicles in February, a massive 71.9% decline from the 5,665 sold in February 2024. Through the first two months of the year, Tesla delivered 2,331 vehicles to Australians, a 65.5% decline from the 6,772 vehicles sold over the same two months in 2024.

It’s worth mentioning that the highly anticipated, heavily updated Model Y has just started being sold in Australia—though only in the premium (A$73,400) Launch Edition variant, with the standard version still unavailable. So, the sales slump isn’t entirely surprising.

Even so, the outgoing Model Y saw a 55.4% decline, shifting only 924 units. Meanwhile, sales of the refreshed Model 3 are down a dramatic 81.4%, with just 668 cars sold. It seems Australians aren’t quite as eager to embrace the “Tesla dream” as they once were.

Chinese Struggles

And then there’s China, where things are also looking grim for Tesla in one of its most important markets worldwide. Preliminary data from China’s Passenger Car Association reveals that Tesla built and sold 30,688 vehicles in February 2025—a 49.16% drop from the 60,365 cars moved in February 2024. This total includes both domestic sales and exports, but it’s clear that Tesla’s Chinese market share is shrinking. When you factor in competition from local EV manufacturers, the picture becomes even murkier.

It’s safe to say that Tesla’s global growth trajectory has hit some roadblocks. While the company remains a leader in the electric vehicle space, its once-unassailable dominance in key markets is showing signs of distress. Whether it’s product fatigue, the controversial nature of its CEO, market saturation, or just bad timing—especially with the transition surrounding its best-selling vehicle, the Model Y, the shine is definitely starting to wear off.